BUSINESS and cultural leaders last night welcomed David Henshaw's warning that Liverpool has to suffer the pain of being a huge building site before enjoying the gain of Capital of Culture.

BUSINESS and cultural leaders last night welcomed David Henshaw's warning that Liverpool has to suffer the pain of being a huge building site before enjoying the gain of Capital of Culture.

Senior figures agreed with the council's chief executive that wide-scale development work is inevitable but they have called on him to carefully manage the disruption.

Stephen Pearse, policy specialist at the Chamber of Commerce, said businesses had their part to play in mini-mising the problems.

He said: " We can all play a part in using other forms of transport if the roads are closed.

"We can look at the ferries and the trains to bring people into the city. There is also obviously the possibility of park and ride."

Ed Oliver, chairman of Liverpool Stores Committee, said shoppers would not be put off visiting the city centre despite it being disrupted by building work.

He said: "Yes, there will be some disruption but I am not sure that it will affect shoppers. Although it will be a building site in Liverpool, it will be a controlled one.

"These things are run like military operations and the planners are very much aware that there must be minimal disruption to local businesses.

"I agree that if we are to have these fantastic developments in the city then we will have to put up with some building work."

Mr Oliver added that retailers would not be deterred from opening stores in Liverpool.

He said: "Many other retailers want to open in the city but the problem is that there are not enough sites."

Thomas O'Brien, chief executive of regional promoter The Mersey Part-nership, said careful management will ensure tourists are not discouraged from visiting the city.

He added the building work signals Liverpool is at the start of a boom.

Mr O'Brien said: "The private and public sectors don't always agree on everything but we are with Mr Henshaw on this one.

"Liverpool will have major projects under way, including building sites in the centre - and that's a real sign of a vibrant, happening city.

"Cities like Boston and Barcelona have managed major construction projects and growing visitor numbers at the same time - and so will Liverpool."

Kris Donaldson, director of marketing for Liverpool Culture Company, said the city could take advantage of its development work by making the projects into a visitor attraction.

He said: "I don't think the fact that the city will be a building site will put people off coming here.

"We could make that a point of interest for visitors. When you go into Liverpool Vision and look at what is happening with the Grosvenor development, it's quite amazing."

A Northwest Development Agency spokeswoman said: "The long-term economic benefits to Liverpool and the North West as a whole, far outweigh the minimal disruption that these developments will cause."

Lib Dem leader Mike Storey added: "This kind of development was unthinkable a couple of years ago.

"The alternative would be to have the status quo, which nobody wants."

But Labour leader Joe Anderson said: "Every single person who lives in the city does not need to be lectured by David Henshaw about what to expect. What people will not stand are the delays in the major schemes. They want to know why the tram network will possibly be held up because of Lib-Dem prevarication."

Culture cities send messages of support>>>>

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Culture cities send messages of support>

CITIES across the world which have gone through huge building projects to kick-start regeneration, last night sent Liverpool messages of support.

Civic leaders in Sydney, Australia, totally redeveloped the city's streets and parks before the 2000 Olympics in a scheme which cost #150m

City of Sydney Council spokesman Craig Middleton said: "It caused massive disruption and huge inconvenience to businesses, visitors, pedestrians and motorists, but when the Olympics arrived, and the streets looked the best they've ever looked and the parks were terrific, people realised the pain was worth it for the gain.

"Four years on, the city still looks as good as it did then. It was a real investment in Sydney's future.

"I can understand the people of Liverpool having concerns at the disruption, but the long-term is definitely worth it."

In Cork in the Republic of Ireland developers have torn up and rebuilt 90pc of Patrick Street, the city's main shopping area, in the run-up to its Capital of Culture year.

Cork 2005 director John Kennedy told the Daily Post: "Some of the traders had a few lean years and there have been a few moans but the Capital of Culture designation has been enthusiastically backed by the people of Cork.

"Cork as a city saw very little development for 15 years while other Irish cities saw big changes.

"We are now getting through our last bit of pain to be ready for next year."

Lille in France, which currently shares City of Culture status with Genoa in Italy, is also finishing off major building work - in particular a renovation of 12 factories and ware-houses into art centres.

"80pc of the work has been done already and it has gone really well. We were lucky to have opera house, theatre and exhibitions which meant there was not much construction. People have been OK with the work because they know what we are doing."